Just Rest
by SpikeLover7
Summary: A post Beneath You SB fic with a friendly ending. Basically, what happens after the end of Beneath You, at least in my mind anyway.


Title: Just Rest (Part 1 of 1)  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimers: I do not own Buffy. Never have, never will. Buffy is the sole property of Joss Whedon, ME, and a bunch of other wonderful people. I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.  
  
Spoilers: Takes place directly after Episode 7-2, Beneath You. If you haven't seen it, don't read. There are no spoilers for anything after 7-2. Just my own wishful thinking. :)  
  
Summary: A post Beneath You S/B fic with a friendly ending. Basically, what happens after the end of Beneath You. I love reading post ep fic, and I finally came up with an idea good enough to write my own. So it's just a continuation that takes place right after "Beneath You."  
  
Feedback: Greatly appreciated. I'd like to know what you think, so when you're done please review it for me. I love to hear what others have to say.  
  
AN: A special thanks to my beta Wynn for looking it over for me. Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.  
  
Okay, enough of that. Onto the story. Hope you like it. :)  
  
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Just Rest  
  
  
  
"Can we rest now? Buffy, can we rest?"  
  
Buffy watched in silence as Spike lay himself out on the cross. His skin began to smoke, and the smell of his burning flesh made her feel sick. She didn't know what to say to him. What could she say? Spike had done what she had thought no demon could do. He had gone out, on his own free will, in search of his soul. All because he wanted to be someone she deserved. She hadn't accepted him, and that was all he really wanted. Acceptance. Love. Forgiveness.  
  
The tears fell harder the longer she stood there. For her. He had done it for her. To protect her. To be the kind of man who wouldn't hurt her. To be any kind of man at all. One who she could accept. Who she could love.  
  
Buffy was shaken out of her thoughts at the sound of his sobbing. All of a sudden, she remembered that he was still hanging on that cross, burning. Buffy felt her legs move forward. She walked quickly up the stairs to him. She grabbed and pulled him off just a little too hard, and he tumbled into her, sending both of them crashing down the stairs hard. They rolled on the floor and finally stopped when they ran into the first pew.  
  
Buffy shook her head to get her bearings back and found that Spike was not moving.  
  
"Spike?" She called his name quietly at first, then a little louder.  
  
"Spike!"  
  
He still didn't move. Buffy figured he must have hit his head on the pew, knocking himself out. Slowly, Buffy crawled off of him. She gasped as she finally got a good look at him.  
  
Bright red burns covered his face on both sides. Both of his arms were smoking as well, and his upper chest looked just as bad. Large, painful looking blisters covered the areas where he was burned, and a lot of his skin had peeled off. He looked like he had just thrown himself headfirst into a bonfire.  
  
Buffy sat back on the floor beside him, wondering what she should do. She couldn't just leave him here. Not like this. Not after she knew. She had to get him more comfortable, more relaxed. Try to soothe his burns. Something. She had to do something. After everything he had done for her, it was the least she could do.  
  
As carefully as she could, Buffy put her arms under him and slowly lifted him up, wincing herself as he groaned in pain. She held him close to her as she left the church.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Buffy pushed open the door to her house, Spike still cradled in her arms. During the walk home, Spike had begun to shiver. Buffy couldn't imagine how he felt. Even in his dreams he was being tormented.  
  
Buffy decided to put him in her mother's room, where he could be most comfortable. As she walked up the stairs, Buffy silently prayed that Dawn was asleep. She really didn't want to talk to her now.  
  
Once she got to her mother's room, Buffy carefully laid Spike down on the bed. She then left the room to go gather some medical supplies to see if she could fix him up a bit.  
  
As she searched her room for what she would need, she could hear loud whimpering coming from her mother's room. Buffy slammed the drawer that she had been looking through closed, trying to drown out the noise. It didn't work. As he continued to whimper, Buffy broke down.  
  
Buffy's legs gave way beneath her and she crumpled to the floor. Her tears flowed freely now. All the emotions that she had kept pent up for so long came spilling out through her tears. She cried hard, her breathing coming in short, painful gasps, her body trembling violently. She buried her head in her hands and let it come. She cried until she felt she had nothing left to cry.  
  
After what felt like forever, Buffy's tears subsided. She wiped her face as best she could with her hands, grabbed what she had gathered, and headed back to Spike.  
  
She entered the room to find him curled up into tight ball, whimpering in pain, shaking, and muttering to himself.  
  
"No, please, don't do it. Stop. Don't. Please. God help me. Please. Make it stop. Stop, stop, stop." Buffy watched as his shaking got worse. She could see beads of sweat covering his face, covering his whole body. He was sobbing, his voice breaking as he begged for the pain to stop.  
  
Buffy dropped the items she was holding as she saw him begin to thrash violently. He continued to cry and beg. "Please. God no. Too much. Stop. Please. STOP!"  
  
Buffy couldn't stand back and watch him any longer. She ran towards the bed and held him still. She shook him, trying to get him to snap out of it.  
  
"Spike. Wake up. Wake up!"  
  
"HELP ME!"  
  
"SPIKE!"  
  
All of a sudden, he shot up in the bed, panting though he didn't need to breathe. He looked around, his eyes open wide, trying to figure out where he was. When he spotted her, he seemed to calm down considerably. "Buffy?" he whimpered.  
  
"Spike, are you okay?" she asked.  
  
Spike nodded, right before he burst into tears. Without a second thought, Buffy reached out and pulled him to her. He wrapped his arms around her and clung to her, as if his very unlife depended on it. As if she was his life preserver. As she held him, she began to rock him slowly, as she would a child. She had one hand on his back, gently rubbing in slow circles, trying to soothe him. The other she had on his head, doing the same.  
  
"It's okay," she said. "It's gonna be okay."  
  
Spike sobbed harder. "Make it stop. Please. Make it stop."  
  
"Shhhhh, it's okay. Just relax. I'm here." She held him as close to her as she could as he continued to cry.  
  
"I'm gonna help you," she stated firmly. "I'm gonna help get you through this. I will. I promise," she said, her voice cracking as her tears came back.  
  
"Buffy-"  
  
"Shhhh. I'm here for you. Just rest now, Spike. Just rest."  
  
THE END  
  
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Well, what did you think? Review and let me know. :) 


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